First things first - given the kind of material we study, the way it's written and the way we study it, the world would need to decide for itself to be conquered or not. But as a member of that world, please hear me out ! We're a group that's met for several years now, with ever closer focus on Rudolf Steiner's threefold social idea. Most recently we've looked at inner aspects of this with Steiner's Social and Antisocial Forces in the Human Being, and before that, his first and foundational book on the subject, Towards Social Renewal (see resources). We read each text carefully together, and stop to explore when someone has a question or insight. In my experience, the discussion has gotten better and better with time. Next we'll read the first five chapters of Steiner's World Economy (we may decide to read more) - and this may be where you come in. Rudolf Steiner had scholarly knowledge in astonishingly many of fields - but his books and lecture are not just more information in an information-choked world, but windows into new ways of looking at a subject, no matter which one. In a world where economic life is hit with shocks, conflicts and breakdowns not just more frequently, but of increasing magnitude, "world economy" seems in real need of this. I've read through the first chapter of the new book twice now, and it seems clear he'll deliver again. I said that my thoughts have been grandiose recent mornings, but my sense is that many people today might welcome new insights on economy, and new ways to look at it - or at least need and could benefit from them. Hundreds of people. Thousands. Even millions. My mind boggles to think of all these people, most newcomers to all this, joining our study group. But then I think : maybe I shouldn't underestimate them - or us ! What We Do Our "method" of studying, as noted, is to read carefully, with a goal simply to understand what's said, and to clarify through questions and discussion. We've learned to listen to each other, to not fight and to simply let different thoughts stand side by side in service of insight. As for the structure of our group, for the first half hour we share how different ones of us have worked with these ideas in the past week. Each of us, in our greater or smaller way, hopes to find ways to help this threefold social idea grow into a future healthier threefold social ordering of society, even in our own lives. For me it's energizing both to hear these updates, and to share what I've done myself. At the half hour mark, we do two things. First we hear the weekly verse from Rudolf Steiner's Calendar of the Soul, in both English and German, the original language. Then, whoever wants to can invite friends who have died, who took special interest in the threefold idea, or who we feel might now. For many of us, our sense is that they not only can, but do join us in active, helpful ways. Then, for the next hour, we study and discuss. At the end our meeting we hear this verse of Karl Koenig, founder of the Camphill Village movement for developmentally disabled children and adults : There is a knighthood of the 21st century Whose riders do not ride through the darkness of physical forests as of old, But through the forest of darkened minds. They are armed with a spiritual armor, and an inner sun makes them radiant. Out of them shines healing. Healing that flows from the knowledge of the human being as a spiritual being. They must create inner order, inner justice, peace and conviction in the darkness of our time. They must learn to work side by side with angels. What YOU Can Do We meet by Zoom every Sunday afternoon from 4 to 5:30 pm U.S. Eastern Time. For years, one friend gets up very early in Australia and listens in on her long drive to work. Although we seldom hear her voice, when we do we're glad, and she's always fully there in what she shares. We welcome new members, but clearly for some in this wide world, the times won't line up - ever. But here's another possibility, to me an exciting one. If you can't join us in person, we invite you to read along with us, independent but parallel, in this book and future ones, wherever you are. Or to start your own threefold study group, in time zones within your reach. We feel Rudolf Steiner's threefold social idea is very important to understand today, a kind of "missing link" to a more healthy social future. It's no problem to add you to our email list for weekly updates. Like world economy, as seen in the first chapter of our new book, the need for a threefold understanding of society is a worldwide phenomenon. And the basic unit of a potentially healthier society is the individual human being, working together with other individual human beings. Will you join us ? Literature Our current reading, as noted, is World Economy by Rudolf Steiner Read for free : World Economy GA/CW 340 - Rudolf Steiner Archive Listen : "Rethinking Economics" - GA/CW 340, 1922 - Rudolf Steiner Audio MORE Resources on Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea If you feel this post could be helpful and that this theme is important please share them with friends !
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 "Pieter Breughel the Elder : The Triumph of Death
Renewal - Or the Abyss ? Beyond my own interests and needs of life, retirement gives me more time for the world around me. From a space of more external freedom, I'm grateful and take joy simply in the weather whatever it may be, at people in stores and the street, in friendships and relationships, for which - finally - I have more unspoken for time. I'm more free to read, to reflect if I take time for it, to observe mood and events in the great world around me. This is not all sweetness and light. I'm not unwell, but with age do come vulnerabilities, and I notice them. The companions of every human life - illness, death, evil around us in the world - and if we're honest, a measure of evil inside us too - don't sleep. They announce themselves in subtle ways and I, for one, can't help but hear. I want to share one especially vivid to me just now. My computer uses a Windows operating system, and when I turn it on each day, the first thing I see is its very intense newsfeed, Microsoft Start. The images and headlines are hard hitting, and it's almost impossible not to stop and read something. I worked in psychiatry for 40 years and I'm not excitable, not by nature, training or life experience. But the image of the world portrayed there is really something like a cauldron, rising steadily towards a boil. The story of the Russia-Ukraine war is a huge case in point. It's been a front burner theme on the feed since 2013. Rather than taking a side in the matter, I'd like to simply list some observations on the coverage of the war. The facts and interpretation of the situation, as portrayed consistently on the platform, center on the themes that
The starkness of content in the coverage is also striking : a language of obliteration, annihilation of Russian forces has been prevalent, even from the start. Video of a drone strike, the destruction of a tank, a ship, a group of Russian soldiers in a field are staples, to my sensibilities almost a kind of war porn - a daily diet of it. Similar are depictions of increasing unity, coalition among allies, country after country sending arms to Ukraine, building up weapons in their own. The tone of coverage in the feed, for more than ten years now, has been one not just of unity, but increasing inevitability, with other options either not discussed, or swept quickly off the table. Parallel is an accustoming of the world to risk, with multiplying stories, for instance, on nuclear war - and for Americans, of how you would be affected by one, with maps with red circles, state by state. Impressions of the authority of sources and stories are also remarkably conveyed, with articles at times 3 to 5 or more in a day credited explicitly to Ukraine intelligence services - and given the constant, intense specific details and videos, most likely with input from U.S. intelligence as well. To crown these factors, on a platform with a potential reach to 1.5 billion Microsoft OS users daily, until just recently comments by readers on these stories had been turned off for years. There are few or no other voices to be heard, and the powerful question in the air becomes "Where is all this going - and how soon ?" With the force and directness dreams can have, one morning recently, my own soul gave its take on this : I was in a house, and I heard shouting outside. I looked out the window and out across a large field of grass, I saw a group of young people, running towards something still a bit further in the distance. Looking to the point they ran towards, I saw a herd of horses, agitated, pacing restlessly to and fro among themselves. Looking towards movement from the right now, there came an immense tiger, healthy and strong, running at full speed and with fierce intention towards them. The screams of the women, especially, rang out in the air. The tiger bore down on one horse, separated from the rest, and it froze, head raised, terror in its eyes. Without breaking stride the tiger leapt, wrapping itself with all its claws on the horse's shoulders and neck, and bringing it immediately to earth, attacking with powerful jaws. The struggle would appear to have ended in seconds, but now the other horses descended on the struggle en masse. With fierceness to match the tiger's, they attacked, screaming and biting in frenzy, stamping with their hooves at the tiger, throwing up great clouds of flying earth and grass. The tiger's focus, however, was complete and it was not to be deterred. The young people too now joined the struggle, the women leading, shouting, striking and pulling at the tiger with their hands. The tiger broke its attack momentarily, turning and snarling, lashing with fierce claws in all directions, but returning to its prey with undiminished fierceness. At a certain point the struggled was finished, and horses and young people drifted away. I saw that there was nothing to be done, and prepared to leave the house. Out in the town there was excitement in the streets over the attack, and people walked talking energetically. I came to one woman with cuts and scratches on her face and arms, and she walked by. There then came another woman, and we stopped and talked. She had open cuts and scratches like the other woman. She said to me "yes, it was terrible - he took half my breast away." She open her coat, and indeed, although healed, the lower part of her left breast was scarred, and had a depression in it. Now the scene changed, and I was in the house again. Two men were there, attacking a third man. One of the two struck ferociously, intent to do harm, as much as he could. I jumped in, at first wanting to hurt him, but he was very strong, and threw me off. I realized with a feeling of helplessness that I had neither the strength to stop him, nor a real will to hurt him. I turned to the second assailant, holding him by the arms and shaking him. I looked in his eyes and cried at him urgently "stop this, and make him stop now !" The man stopped struggling with me, eyes closed, face contorted with inner tension, as if he was struggling with himself. I could see I had reached him at least in part, and that he was grappling with himself. I felt to myself, "this could be possible", and I felt a sense of hope. Then I awoke. My sense was that what would happen, whether it was yet more destruction or not, was in no way guaranteed - but that there was at least a direction to try. I won't interpret this dream just now, although I have ideas - but how would you see it ? I'll also come back to the glimmer of hope at the end, at what might need to happen next - but again, what do you think ? What do we do in the face of violent crisis - or perhaps more important, what do we do beforehand, that we don't have to go there ? I'll return to these questions, but first I want to look at what happens when we do go there. The Monstrosity of War It's been said that at this time in history, our tools of physical warfare have passed a certain tipping point - that we've become so skilled at it that we can destroy whole infrastructures - physical, but also human and social - in just months, weeks - even days. Overpowering force and technologies, however, also meet factors not seen in planning : they produce not submission, as hoped, but increased cunning in adversaries - the dark skills and intelligence of extreme extreme hatred, extreme fear and desperation. And what, collectively, does this then cost ? We read and forget the numbers : "casualties of war." But what and who does it actually mean ? Soldiers with weapons in hand, clearly ; but in our times the civilian toll is almost always more. Some deaths are from nearby combat, to be sure - but others also to greater or lesser degrees intented : deaths from shelling, bombing, landmines, executions, massacres, deaths of retaliation and revenge ; death from disease and starvation, from starvation even as a weapon, on the largest scale. Death in gulags and concentration camps, in refugee camps. "Collateral" deaths, yes, but also millions intended - or even planned. And this is to speak only of deaths. Miraculously, people survive these horrors - new life rises, and in the best case thrives. But the economic, physical and psychological costs are devastating - and not just for those who "lose" a war. Picture this in terms of your own life. Most of us never see it - it doesn't happen where we live. But what if it did ? What would it be like, how would it actually unfold ? Would people around us act decently ? Help each other - or under the wrong circumstances, slip into the madness themselves ? We like to think not - yet all over the world, again and again people do. These processes are the "downside" of human potential. They have patterns - triggers, starting points, steps by which they grow. Do we dare look at these processes, our own dark reflection when we lose our way ? Better perhaps to look, than blindly live it out. A Slippery Slope Illness, death, evil, as noted, simply can't be avoided in life. At best we deal with them honestly, creatively, morally - the mark and achievement of a good human life. Through ignorance, recklessness, carelessness however - through inattention to things that need our attention - they can also get away from us. This happens to individuals, and it can happen to whole societies. The consequences even of our mundane pride, self-centeredness, apathy and indifference can under the wrong circumstances magnify - multiply. Despite our better and best potentials as human beings, our humanity can also break down and unravel. Fear, doubt and hatred, as endpoints of these processes, have been called "the three beasts of the abyss" - which, if not overcome in ourselves, drive us to despair, violence, depravity, with no real lower limit. On this slippery slope, where do we find ourselves today - and which direction are we headed ? From Atttitudes to Action Look again at your experience, at the social landscape around you. How do people think about each other, how do you hear them talk to and about each other ? Not to say no one feels or acts with compassion, with integrity today - but we characterize each other freely as stupid, gullible, brainwashed, "just evil". We dismiss each other's sources of information as "misinformation", "disinformation", "malinformation ", out of hand and with scorn. We demean each other's thoughts, feelings, life experience, and on social media, say these things to each other's faces, so to speak. We label each other right or left extremists, fascists, communists, conspiracy theorists, "sheep", and are done with each other. And where might thisit go from here ? From Attitudes to Actions From portraying others to ourselves as stupid, extremist, evil, to speaking badly of them easily, it's no large further step to want them out of our lives. But what if they won't go - and if they're active ? Tempting next steps are to push them out, to suppress, silence or coerce them. Censorship on search engines and social media during COVID 19, for instance, reached the point of keystroke by keystroke surveillance and removal of content, instigated or even demanded by government. Governments sought compliance indirectly through pressure on employers (e.g. vaccine mandates), and retail businesses (lockdowns, masking), restricting access to needed food, goods and services, even the chance to earn a living. The laws of many countries of course forbid them to deny freedoms of speech, movement, medical informed consent etc, and often these attempts failed in the courts - but still, only eventually, long after the fact. after the fact. In the moment they were almost impossible to fight, and their cost in terms of time and stress were extreme. The worldwide social and economic toll, the perverse costs of these measures on physical and mental health, even their costs in deaths, are still yet to be reckoned, and these facts too remain subject to censorship.
"There is no darkness so great, that a greater light cannot dispel it."
- Henry David Thoreau Riaan Swiegelaar was a co-founder and the lead spokesman of the Satanic Church of South Africa. In 2022, while preparing to take part in a ritual to increase the worldwide reach and power of Satan, he had - suddenly - an overwhelming, face to face experience of Jesus Christ. Here is a very short glimpse of that experience - a longer account of what's happened since, and some thoughts on the meaning of these events follow.
I saw this video yesterday on the Facebook page of a friend. There's something sensational about it because it concerns Satanism, and something important about it, because as the second video below shows, it led to things being revealed about Satanism that are usually very much kept secret. Experiences like the initial one of Riaan Swiegelaar, however, are not completely isolated in the world. I was never a Satanist, but I had this experience of meeting Christ too, when I was 23 (I'm 74 now), after the extremely painful breakup of my first marriage. In my case, I saw Christ on the cross, crucified. It was very sudden, vivid, a moment outside time, as if I was there, witnessing it personally. Christ was the most beautiful man, covered in wounds, but the most beautiful human being I could imagine. No words were said, but the love that emanated from him to me was overwhelming ; yet gentle, and I felt loved without reservation, unconditionally. I thought and felt, there is nothing in him that deserves this - and nothing I could ever do that would deserve to be loved like this. I fell to the floor, overwhelmed, grateful and weeping. The friend who shared this video has had this experience too, and his wife as well, when she was at a complete bottom with Lyme's disease. George Ritchie described this same kind of experience in his book "Return From Tomorrow", which I hope everyone will one day read ; and when I read the experince of Paul on his way to Damascus, it resonates completely. The exact details in any of these cases are different, but the core of them seems fully the same. Watching this on my friend's page reminded me of my own experience - and interestingly, now again in the present, came at a moment when I actually needed it. It brought to mind that my way of reaching Christ, and his way of reaching me, have a continuity - that there is a thread in my life, a theme and a stream of life that I still live in. It reminded me that glimpses, reminders of that event also still come to me regularly through other people ; new episodes of this being loved and "seen" are still in my life, in ways great and small every day. I lose track of this relationship sometimes, but that it's always there to return to - and it evolves. The realization is that I'm loved more than I could ever deserve. It puts my shortcomings right in front of my eyes - but also leaves me free to find my own way out of the error and dross, so each step can still be organic, real and my own. I find myself loved unconditionally, but still responsible for what I do, how I think, subject to consequences, responsible to "pay my bills" in the world. I'm still in need of healing - but also receive healing in new ways large and small all the time. It's hard work, work of attention and mindfulness, even of trust and letting go ; but in Christ, with a chance I could never have otherwise. Continuation This morning, searching for an embed code for the video above, I found this further chapter in the life of Riann Swiegelaar. It brought to mind again for me how these profound meetings, though they have core features in common, are still unique and individual for every person. They happen in the context of a whole life lived thus far - but also change intimately how it unfolds in the future. Beyond the imagination or expectations of the person him/herself, something new can enter. Paul, Saul as he was known before Damascus, persecuted the Christians, believing it the best, the most right and important thing to do. His mind, gifts and whole life experience, however, had also prepared him for something else - something greater than he would ever have thought of himself, but for which he was needed. With this as a picture, consider the life of Riann Swiegelaar as it's unfolded since :  Use Your Available Resources ! Today I sent this message to my Oregon Governor, state Senator and state Representative, and I'm glad I did. It's my growing sense that however much we may protest things we're concerned about among ourselves, no real or lasting change will come until we take up the tools actually available to us, and use them - skillfully and vigorously. I found contact information for my representatives with a tool in an old article of mine Activism 101 : An Activists Toolbox If you're a U.S. citizen, you can find contact information for your elected representatives there too. Maybe you already do this with issues you're concerned about, but if cynicism or apathy have crept in for you, I hope you'll join a process begun by our Founders, that's actually brought a great deal of the progress these past few hundred years. It's empowering to state your thoughts and needs clearly, and stand up for them. On occasion in my life, I've seen this bear quite amazing fruits. Here's my letter : Vaccine Safety and Informed Consent "I'm a retired RN, and besides what I was taught about vaccines in my nursing training and through hospital staff education my whole career, I've also followed vaccine safety and choice issues since 1982, including the ongoing history of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. There have been three life threatening events in my family in close proximity to a vaccine dose, and I also had a frightening systemic reaction myself, immediately following the TDap vaccine, the full body effects of which lasted several weeks. I've witnessed blatant ridicule and censorship of dissenting medical and scientific evidence for decades, including the concerns of leading virologists, epidemiologists, immunologists, vaccine researchers, public health and preventive medicine experts. For at least the last ten years, I've also seen my own posts of articles like the one below deleted, more or less instantly and systematically on social media, on the stated basis of "community standards" and "misinformation". https://x.com/AaronSiriSG/status/1811186363791966542 I request that you read this article, review the linked references at least for an overview, and assign staffers to review them more deeply and summarize them for you. Given what you'll discover, I request that you work to establish ironclad guarantees of informed consent law, to include - explicitly - information gathered by patients and their families themselves. Please respond that you have received this request, and take every action within your means to ensure informed consent for patients or their legal gaurdians, without strings or exceptions. It's my conviction that, under cover of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, vaccine makers have taken enormous and irresponsible liberties with vaccine safety ; that, even beyond reported vaccine injuries, this has caused enormous harm to public health ; and that full, public and bipartisan investigation is urgently needed. I include this in my requests to you, ask your response, and request to be kept informed what is done going forward. Thank you, Jeff Smith Jacksonville OR" To fight for freedom is not just a matter of emotions or what we want, I'm coming to believe, but one of endurance, courage and skill. I think it's time to raise our game ! Next post : my first response.  San Miguel de Allende, June 2024 Dear Friends, I'm writing from Mexico - this is our fourth visit since 2020, and these are two friends who've taken us under their wing here. This photo is from an outing on my 74th birthday ! So, to our message and update - this has three parts : First I write - and actually have been writing since I was about seven years old. I started with poetry, and got wonderful encouragement to keep it up, both then and in my teen years. I still write poetry, and try to bring at least something artistic into everything I write. As my life has turned out, I worked in the medical field for 40 years, and my writing took this direction too, first of all with patient education sheets in my time as a psych nurse. I still write in retirement, now on a very wide range of wellness related themes. You can find more than 20 years worth of what I do on my holistic wellness website Living Waters Wellness Why I Write I'm grateful that at key moments in my life I was encouraged to explore, and never told not to have questions about life and my world, or follow them where they led. Because of this I've received many real treasures. At this time in my life, I want to give back as much as I can. Some themes you'll find on my website you really won't hear much about elsewhere. I hope you'll visit these pages, explore them, and that if you like something, you'll share it further. In fact, if you really like something, I hope you'll get in touch personally. Important ideas, thoughts and insights thrive on being explored deeply, and actually need that kind of treatment - so please, come ahead !  Two We need your help. This has a slightly political element to it, but I'll make it quick - please don't worry ! Our news and headlines, as you know, and even our personal conversations today are full of the themes of left versus right, Republican versus Democrat. I feel this is a complete misunderstanding of the situation, and a dangerous one. More of a problem and danger, to my understanding, is a domination of government by economic interests of the largest and most powerful kind, their influence, subtle or direct over our elected representatives and their setting us against each other for their own ends. People on both "left" and "right" have noticed these influences at different times, and protested them sharply. You can decide from your own experience of me whether I'm a wild eyed, radical guy, but my speaking up on social media has gotten me into a lot of trouble. The low point was in October 2019, while we were in Croatia, when I woke to find six Facebook pages - including the one for our business - taken down permanently overnight. Unfortuntely, this hasn't been at all unusual these past five years. I know of dozens of cases where such things have happened, just among people I know.  Seventy feet above the ground, on the wall that goes all the way around the city of Dubrovnik. Roswitha was terrified of the height at first, but we walked the whole thing !  This is the end of my tale of cyber surveillance and censorship, which have become so common, even for ordinary people who dissent these days. I've gotten smarter about dealing with it, but if it's not cat videos or photos of my dinner in a restaurant, my reach on Facebook remains badly limited. My request is simple : please visit My Facebook Profile My Page Rights Life Today and Our business Page Living Waters Wellness Products on Facebook, and Like, Share and/or Comment on my Pages and posts as you feel moved to. Thank you - it will be a real service to us !  Three
This has to do with businesses of ours, with products we market, and that you could potentially market too. You're under no obligation to do anything - again I'll be brief, and again please don't worry ! As you may know, we're both retired health professionals, and even before our careers, closely interested in health in the holistic sense. Over time, we've also vetted and used various wellness related products, both to protect and strengthen our own health. We use all products we market ourselves, and as you can imagine, are only interested in the best. The page linked below introduces these products, with links to learn more, either to use them yourself, or to partner with us, and build an income of your own. We've createded some great presentation tools we can share, and at this point in our lives, also really enjoy helping others succeed. For more on what we do, visit Living Waters Wellness : Partner With Us Thanks, be well and be in touch ! Jeff and Roswitha Smith Rights Life The core and essential need of "rights life", as described in Rudolf Steiner's threefold social idea, is equality : that all adults be able to have a part in decisions that affect their rights and safety, be protected equally by any rules or laws established, and that no one have special advantages, exemptions or power over others in these universal human concerns. It also follows that rights life must eventually have corresponding forms and processes for its work, including - Forums to which all adults can have access or representation, in which rights and safety concerns can be aired and discussed. - Decision making processes, through which guiding principles and clarity can be established - for example - What rights and protections do all people need, and must they have ? - What constitutes an offense against these rights and protections ? - How can agreements and decisions be reached about these things - efficiently, yet still without undermining particiation and equality ? - How shall offenses be remedied - matters of identification or detection of offenses, justice and restitution - police and armies ? The following highlight some key current manifestations of these questions, in an I believe especially skillful and relevant way. In Focus : The WHO Pandemic Agreement This appeal, written by Dr Michaela Gloeckler for Alliance Eliant - the European Alliance for Applied Anthroposophy - enters with dignity and clarity into this field. It references Rudolf Steiner's threefold principles boldly and publicly, and makes a strong, healthy entry to the arena of "rights life", on the largest of public stages. An excellent, ongoing initiative, and I feel very well done ! Stop the WHO Power Grab An article from the organization Children's Health Defense. I feel this is another fine example of "rights life" in the sense of Steiner's threefold idea, done in a nonviolent way, and coming from a completely different direction and source, outside the anthroposophical movement. Not least, it includes an ingenious tool for direct participation in the rights process. It pleases me to see this, and also the common insights lighting up from different quarters. No matter how much is or isn't possible at this time, the crucial element is a cognitive and spiritual one : thoughts that can't be unthought, a light that can't be extinguished. Rudolf Steiner described the day of physical warfare and exercise of external power as having passed, and indicated the new field of battle must become spiritual warfare - the war of facts and ideas. This and the prevous initiative above might be seen as examples of the legitimate "swords, shields and spears" of the future. It's Not Over : The WHO's Relentless Power Grab From CHD TV, another production of Children's Health Defense. The crucial need in rights life, as noted above, is equality : that every adult have a say in his or her own rights and safety, a voice in decisions to be made, equal protection under any related laws. Again as noted, this requires forms and processes in which they can actively participate. Rights life, per Rudolf Steiner, is the appropriate task of government and of "politics" - in their healthiest form, simply discussions and negotiations among people about their rights. This video discussion, between two longtime observers of world health policy formation, outlines a kind of counter-process underway, to regulate health related rights and safety entirely from the top down - to effectively "manage" rights and enforce compliance on individuals worldwide, first of all through binding agreements with their governments. Governments may fail in their roles and responsibilities - but the rights needs of human beings remain. Where governments do fail, humanity has little choice but to either remind them of their tasks, or rebuild and "regrow" them from the ground up - if at first informally, eventually in new, more functional and permanent forms. Fortunately, the push for ever tighter control of consumer, civil and human rights, underway for decades, has been noted and steadily documented. I'm pleased to be able to witness this process. Painful as it may be to look at a sharp evil in the world, I hope you'll hear them out with open ears ! - Jeff Smith RN, Retired  The Seed Nature of an Idea I was introduced to Rudolf Steiner's threefold social idea almost 45 years ago, and it's come to belong for me, in a good way, to the category of "thoughts I can't unthink". This started simply with a $3 pamphlet I picked up from a bookstore table. Over time this small seed has grown into quite a vigorous plant in me - and not one that's even needed much water or attention, in any external sense. If anything, once planted, enthusiasm for this surprising, "something new under the sun" perspective on human social life has seemed to grow on its own in me - and also to generate impulses to do something with the insights it brought. This far in, new shoots of ideas still sprout up in me all the time. Given a chance through honest interest and attention, in my experience, this is what Steiner's threefold idea does in the human being. What is it about the threefold idea, that yields this kind of growth and conviction ? It's really not more than a set of differentiated - but remarkably healthy and refreshing - observations about human social life : a modest extension of science into a new area, discerned systematically by Rudolf Steiner for the first time. In Overview This "threefold" perspective on society observes that human life unfolds in three core, recurring kinds of activity, each with its own needs, and its own requirements to be optimally healthy. Namely : - Economic life, encompassing processes of production, distribution and consumption in society, by which human beings meet their physical needs of life. Economic life requires constant, intelligent cooperation and communication in the realm of practical work, and an attitude of goodwill towards others, in order for the needs of all to be met. This mindset is quite diffent than the current view of profits and competition as the driving forces of economic life. - Rights or political life, through which we work out our human need for basic freedoms, protections and safety. The special need and requirement of rights life, Rudolf Steiner observed, is for equality among citizens : an equal voice in creating measures that protect civil and human rights, safety and dignity, equal protection under rules and measures thus established, and equal liability, in the case rules are broken - which is to say, that there be no special exemptions or exceptions from them. - Spiritual and cultural life, based in the gifts and abilities of each individual human being, which, developed and manifested in society, give rise to inventions and innovations, and to progress and wellbeing in all realms of life. This includes such fields as education, the healing arts, religion and spirituality ; but also the work of every profession, and any gift or ability in a person which, when developed, serves to benefit society. The special need of spiritual-cultural life is for freedom : the possibility to develop one's gifts and offer one's contributions, freely and unhindered ; and in turn to receive those of others. The limits of freedom in this sphere are that these activities not cause harm or injury to others. As each of these three spheres has needs in order to thrive, there are also circumstances that make it weak and unhealthy. The three spheres of course interact, and have relationships among them that, again, foster health or its opposite. Crucial to these relationships, for better or worse, are the boundaries among the three realms of social life ; and unhelpful entanglements among them into each other's affairs. Trespasses of roles and functions among the three spheres have evolved gradually, Steiner observes, and for the most part unnoticed in recent centuries ; but have for this reason become all the more destructive. The threefold idea, again, a set of meticulous social observations, raises these trespasses to the level of clear consciousness - often for the first time. As public discourse falls more deeply into blame, fears and hostility between people today, this perspective suggests causes and solutions in terms of the needs of rights, economic and cultural spheres, obstructed and thus frustrated. To disentangle and separate these spheres becomes a priority today, as a basis for their more appropriate and harmonious integration. New as this perspective is in the course of history, as challenging these needed separations, it raises the prospect of future social conflict, even social warfare, back into the realm of social problem solving - in these times, absolutely no small thing. To Look Deeper The Fullness of Life : New Articles on Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea \ "Something New Under the Sun" : Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea Book Review : "A Way Forward : From Social Illness to Social Health" Please share this page with friends !  A Modest Chronicle
Previous : We Have the Ideas - But How Do We Awaken the Will ? Dear Friends, I'm keeping a running tally for myself of themes that come up repeatedly in our group. Among these : 1) Inner Aspects : We'd like to live in a more healthy society, but how social are we - how able to make space for others in our thoughts, treat them as we'd want to be treated ? What attitudes, principles and guiding thoughts could help us transform ourselves, as participants in social life ? 2) Perspectives and Understanding : What thus far unnoticed insights and principles of social life are there, that could help us better understand it ? More effectively work in it ? Promote its health, and reduce harmful and destructive tendencies at play in it ? How do we first firmly grasp - and then best share - Rudolf Steiner's observations of society through - His own books and lectures ? - Succinct overview literature - old and new ? - Skills for sharing personally : "elevator speeches", putting threefolding skillfully/accurately into our own words ? 3) Moving from Insights to Action : How do we break free of inertia, doubt and fear to replace stagnant social concepts with better, more dynamic ones ? How can we best and most effectively move from threefold thinking to action in the world ? 4) How can we identify and spotlight healthy examples of threefolding already unfolding in the world (anthroposophical and "non-anthroposophical" examples ? 5) In addressing dysfunction in society, how can we critique clearly and firmly, without being divisive in the process ? Rudolf Steiner : the time for wars of weapons and power has passed - but spiritual warfare ("the war of ideas") is appropriate and necessary today. 6) What ideas, norms and guidelines can we identify for our study and work together, so they unfold in the most healthy and fruitful way ? (Rudolf Steiner : "the right way of working" together is crucial). 7) How can we deepen and clarify understanding of rights life in a rights-dysfunctional world - how best to interact with "the powers that be", and how to create "parallel" forms to promote progress ? In the meantime I promised to send some articles that address some of these questions : We Have the Ideas - But How Do We Awaken the Will ? Think It Right ! In Focus : The WHO Pandemic Agreement This last is written by Dr Michaela Gloeckler for Alliance Eliant - The European Alliiance for Applied Anthroposophy. It's a remarkable example of threefold principles spoken boldly and publicly, and a strong, healthy example of "rights life" played out on the largest of public stages. All the best for your week, Jeff Next in series : Three Articles on Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea The Path of Knowledge and the Path of Action Previous : Study Group : Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea In this week's meeting of our Sunday study group on Rudolf Steiner's threefold social idea, the need was raised yet again - and justifiably - that in a turbulent, even increasingly dangerous world, people not just be content with reading, studying and having ideas about the threefold idea, but that they take action and actually do something. I myself have come the route in life, and belong to a generation and country that did and/or does do things first, and finds out what we did only later - sometimes with large regrets and casualties. This absolutely does lead to wisdom - but I've also learned over time to be grateful for good ideas where I find them. This was especially true in my career, in the sequence of rigorous training in nursing school, then immersion in the intense world of hospital work. There's a path, therefore, from idea to action too, from knowledge to will, that gives clarity to freedom, that makes it effective, responsible, worthy of trust. As a person "head first" by nature, and a graduate in many ways of "the school of hard knocks", I've become fierce in my love for the idea, for the possibility of a cognitive path, for instance as I've met these in the work of Rudolf Steiner (resource) ( resource). This said, I was awake in the night after our study group wrestling with the many sharp dangers I can see in the world around me today. Finding my way to peace and to sleep again, though, I woke up to a clear thought and memory of the answer by Bernard Lievegoed to a question "How do we awaken the will in ourselves, as modern human beings ?" Lievegoed's answer : "To awaken the will, you must cultivate a lifelong committment to knowledge and learning ; an active inner life ; and learn to distinguish the essential from the non-essential." This is worth considering, as it puts responsibility squarely on us. To bridge the seeming chasm between concepts and action, thinking and doing, ideas and deeds, we're asked to overcome factors in us that stand in the way. But it also lends hope the bridge can be built - no matter which side of the gap we at first stand. A Recent Email to Friends
Previous : Study Group on Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea Dear Friends, I've promised one each of these resources to Earl and Chris, and am sending them to the rest of you on the spur of the moment. Why ? Becuse you each, as much as I know you, are or have been deeply involved in the world professionally, and have immersed yourselves in it in as thoughtful, competent and creative way as you can. I'm sending this, you could say, in the sense of "the rich get richer" - but in a good way ! Rudolf Steiner's "threefold social idea" was presented as a set of observations about forces living deeply everywhere in human society as needs and feelings - yet grasped consciously by human beings virtually nowhere. Simply said, the threefold social idea is a new set of scientific observations about society, discovered and presented for the first time by Rudolf Steiner. I first met this threefold idea almost 50 years ago. My experience has been that the idea is like a seed : in gradually and more deeply grasping these principles, they begin to generate clear understanding of why things go badly in society when they do, and organic pictures and ideas how they could possibly go better ; and an impressively strong will and enthusuasm to do those things. Rudolf Steiner on Building Healthy Organizations A Way Forward : From Social Illness to Social Health Study Group on Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea This is a sampler - as the old Alcoholics Anonymous saying goes, "Take what you like and leave the rest". Please also share with more friends as you think best ! With best greetings, Jeff There is a knighthood of the 21st century
Whose riders do not ride through the darkness of physical forests as of old, But through the forest of darkened minds. They are armed with a spiritual armor, and an inner sun makes them radiant. Out of them shines healing. Healing that flows from the knowledge of the human being as a spiritual being. They must create inner order, inner justice, peace and conviction in the darkness of our time. They must learn to work side by side with angels. - Karl Koenig Previous : Study Group Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea Dear Friends Around the World Our study group on Rudolf Steiner's threefold social idea meets on Zoom every Sunday afternoon at 1 pm U.S. Pacific Time (U.S. Eastern time 4 pm), and we're welcoming potential new members. We've just finished Steiner's major work Towards Social Renewal, and will next read some shorter pieces, lectures and articles, probably about three. Whether you're a long time student of this threefold idea, or keep hearing about it and want to look into it more deeply, you may want to join us ! Our group has been meeting for several years now, and has studied the threefolding movement of 1919 in some detail. With Towards Social Renewal we've also refined how we study, to make the most of our available time together. We've established a half hour before we read for news and updates on threefolding work, both our own and work elsewhere. To start the study itself we read the weekly verse from Rudolf Steiner's Calendar of the Soul, and importantly, invite those who have died who took special interest in threefolding, and worked for it actively. Our way of study is to read the work at hand closely and carefully, to understand it clearly, and again importantly, build a shared vocabulary. We stop as needed for questions, for insights that arise and for ideas for applying threefolding concepts in the real world around us. We start our meetings promptly at 1 pm PST (4 pm EST) and finish promptly at 2:30 pm PST (5:30 pm EST), with a reading of the Karl Koenig verse above. Our next reading is Rudolf Steiner's article Culture, Law and Economics Read for Free Read for Free Listen (Audio) The Zoom link for the group is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85414625808?pwd=KzU5Nlcra3o1b01ieGZPNEhKSEtDZz09 This Sunday and every Sunday at the time noted ! Jeff Smith For our Sunday Study Group UPDATE : The reading above is from the collection of Rudolf Steiner essays and articles entitled "Renewal of the Social Organism". When we met the idea was raised and agreed on to first read the Forward by Joseph Weizenbaum Next in series : We Have the Ideas - But How Do We Awaken the Will ?  There is a knighthood of the 21st century
Whose riders do not ride through the darkness of physical forests as of old, But through the forest of darkened minds. They are armed with a spiritual armor, and an inner sun makes them radiant. Out of them shines healing. Healing that flows from the knowledge of the human being as a spiritual being. They must create inner order, inner justice, peace and conviction in the darkness of our time. They must learn to work side by side with angels. - Karl Koenig Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea What to Read Next ? Dear Friends, Our Sunday afternoon (1 pm U.S. Pacific time) study group on Rudolf Steiner's threefold social idea will soon finish "Towards Social Renewal". We've dwindled down to three regular members and three frequent or intermittent ones, and Sandra recently raised the question whether there are enough of us to make it worthwhile to continue - or should we perhaps think about disbanding ? I'm a threefold social idea "lifer" myself, and want to be part of the creative penetration of this idea into every corner of the earth - whatever course this needs or will take. I'll continue to study Steiner's writings on this "something new under the sun" idea - and want very preferably to do so with others. So for me the questions come down to : what to study next ; this decided, how to study and work for the advancement of threefolding ; and with whom ? We've been a group that's stopped easily for check ins and personal sharing, but have moved towards closer, more granular study of the text itself. This coming Sunday we'll start promptly with this week's reading from Rudolf Steiner's Calendar of the Soul, continue with study and discussion of the book, then leave the last half hour for a look at some possible next readings. We'll close with the verse above, as we have in recent months. Here are some possible next choices for our next work : A list of suggested readings on the threefold idea shared elsewhere by Seth Jordan : Resources for Developing a Whole Society Perspective Named, but without links in the above list is the important article collection Renewal of the Social Organism Two more resources oriented towards becoming more social ourselves, within the social organism : Inner Aspects of the Social Question and Social and Antisocial Forces in the Human Being We may not reach a decision yet on Sunday, but please have a look at these options, and bring your own thoughts and perspective ! With best greetings, Jeff Smith Next in series : Study Group : Rudolf Steiner's Threefold Social Idea  Painting : Ivan Aivazovsky
What a remarkable statement to read first thing this morning - and what a beautiful image to go with it. The frustrations, obstacles, trials and vulnerability life inevitably brings eventually do bring us to this point ; and rather than being our demise, as we might have thought, surrender is the way to what people mean when they say "salvation". This doesn't mean we can't be robust, active, competent or effective, have exact observations or be fighters for what is good, beautiful and true in the world - but a mindset of surrender may be the best way to begin with any of these things. Thanks so much to Martin O'Keefe-Liddard for posting ! Inner Alchemy and The Resurrection Body "Today, in modern spirituality, the emphasis tends to be on controlling oneself and environment. This apparent control of ones life, or manifestations, is seen as spiritual mastery. Spiritual knowledge and techniques are twisted to serve the purpose of self aggrandizement and one seems to seek spirituality, not to truly transform oneself, but to gain a sense of control. “How can I manifest this car ?” “How can I get this person to like me ?” “How can I manipulate the people and forces around me to get what I want, so that I can feel good ?” Etc. On and on we go. Trapped in the cycle of material delusion. While this is understandable, it is an impossible endeavor, as healing, knowledge and power come only through the surrendering of the will, and ultimately ego, to Christ. Through the presence of Christ within you healing comes, often in ways that you could not even think to ask. As spiritual beings this is the reality of our existence, the mind can often not comprehend the problem, nor the true solution. Thus, through the presence of Christ within you, knowledge appears as though you have always known it. Your wondering and desire for it was merely a mark of your temporary separation from Him. Through surrendering to the Christ within power also appears in its truest form : love. All craving for worldly power stems from the craving for love. And thus it is only the presence of genuine love that can empower. This love already rests within your heart center. And here, we see that we return to our true selves through Him. That somehow, through this great being, our unique identity becomes known to us. That we know ourselves, heal ourselves and transform ourselves through His force within ourselves. This is part of the Mystery of Christ, the curious reality that we can only truly know ourselves through the surrendering of ourselves to Him. And, here, we finally begin to step off the wheel of Saṃsāra. Our higher bodies fill with everlasting life and we transcend our ties to this material plane. The key here is to understand that inner alchemy, and all true transformation in the material world, occurs through entering into what arises with Christ acknowledged within the heart center. This means that we do not seek to muscle, or override, our current circumstances. Instead we relax and enter deeply into them, we observe them, feel them, and allow them to speak with the light of Christ as our guide. Like Christ overcame death, through his presence within us we can die many times and be reborn into yet higher and higher aspects of ourselves. Perhaps the biggest fear in regards to healing is that we are alone in it ; but nothing could be further from the truth. Clarity and guidance also appears through this inner union with Christ. In this process, forces that need to be released begin to loosen under the spiritual presence of the Christ within us. Forces that need to be brought inward to build and heal also arise from within the Christ Essence within us. Thus we do not avoid pain, and we also do not try to overcome it, or subjugate it, instead we step into the dark places, the wounds, the fear and transform it. All pain and trouble has a message for you, a meaning, and it will never truly heal until you understand it. And, we cannot do this alone. Here, through this divine process, the most mundane acts in one's life become holy and full of miracles. The reaching for greater and greater distractions and stimulations also disappears. We have made the smallest actions divine ! And as the mundane has now become holy, we naturally begin to build ourselves yet an even higher body to live in ! One that reaches beyond this material world : The Resurrection Body." - Gigi Young  How Do Waldorf Education and Anthroposophy Relate to Each Other?
(dasgoetheanum.com) I recently saw this article posted Facebook, accompanied by concerns that not only Waldorf Schools but a variety of initiatives arising from the work of Rudolf Steiner are coming under increasing - and essentially unfair - criticism today. A second article was soon shared as a further sign of this trend, and I've included an excerpt of the conversation that followed. Waldorf schools, biodynamic agriculture, anthroposophical medicine and other initiatives arising from Rudolf Steiner's work are generally perceived by the public to be good and wholesome things. People mostly have excellent experiences with them, and therefore they're inclined to grow and thrive. But they're also under a certain very sophisticated and undermining attack, even in Europe where they're best established. The basis ? Much of it, that they're "unscientific" and "based on occultism", based on a kind of guru worship - or alternately, "possibly outdated" because Rudolf Steiner is no longer alive. This is not innocuous, as evidenced by increasing restrictions on anthroposophical medicines, scrutiny of all of these initiatives by the state, and closer regulation EVEN WHERE NO HARM IS BEING DONE. The article above is very well written, the first in a series of four. I recommend a close and thoughtful reading, as these attacks will not decrease until meticulously refuted - and until the courage and skill can be found to publicly "make the case" for the occult content itself. Here are some of the reactions and responses to the piece : Martin : Anthroposophists are now labelled "Querdenker" in Germany. (Note : see this succinct definition of the term from July 2021) "In fact, Querdenker has garnered so much attention that a whole list of books has been published about this subject ..... also the German spy agency decided to watch the Querdenker movement." We English speakers are supposed to know very little about Rudolf Steiner's untranslated works and would supposedly change our minds about him if we did. I suggest reading this also, for the same reasons Jeff Smith states above : The Cult of Rudolf Steiner Part 1 internationalresearch.com Michael : Martin, 1) You write as if it were "common knowledge" (meaning basically everybody, or "public opinion") that anthroposophists are Querdenker. Is that so ? You would think that the fruits of Waldorf education or of Biodynamic agriculture would justify what is behind them, not the opposite. 2) Is it even a little justified ? Do anthroposophists know what they are talking about ? Just to take an example, if an anthroposophist talks about the activity of Buddha on Mars, do they actually know what they are talking about ? (I don't mean to question whether it is true ; my point is completely different. Do they understand it ? If they can't put it in their own - and different - words, I doubt it.) 3) Anthroposophists again and again post long or short quotations from Steiner lectures. They seldom speak for themselves, except perhaps to quarrel about what he really said or how it should be interpreted. 4) I sometimes wonder whether most of us "anthroposophists" would do well to enter into a fast on quoting RS and instead in silence study and practice his Philosophy of Freedom (first !) and his Knowledge of Higher Worlds. Perhaps it would help us to think straight instead of quer. I think that the above article is biased, but I knew nothing of many of the things he was writing about. You ? Jeff : Waiting to hear Martin's clarification too, Michael. I didn't get that he thinks anthropops are Querdenkers - but reinforcing that there is in truth a rather virulent group trying to create that impression. Concerning your own observations - well maybe some anthros are Querdenkers to some extent. Not enough to disqualify a large body of excellent observations, thinking and fruitful work on the part of its best representatives - but enough that we need to pull up our socks, and be mindful not to undermine OURSELVES. Michael : Jeff Smith I am not so sanguine about this. Martin : Michael, the article is indeed biased. Where the name Peter Staudenmaier appears quoted as a worthy source, one can be assured of it. The expression "Sticks and Stones ..... " encapsulates my attitude to it. The expression was first attested in Folk-phrases of Four Counties by GF Northall, published in 1894 for the English dialect society. I could address each of your points separately but at the end of the day Anthroposophists will individually do as they wish. There will always be detractors and their voices will become more and more deafening as time moves on. In our attempts to communicate the impossible it must be expected. It is the fate of any artist or art appreciator working out of a non-mainstream impulse I'm afraid. Martin : Jeff, the German Spy Agency obviously thinks the terms Querdenker and Conspiracy theorist are interchangeable and that Anthroposophist is just a synonym. This is a phenomenon most recently linked to the Covid Op. Question the official COVID narrative at your peril. Jeff : Michael, what do you mean by sanguine in this case ? Niels-Peter : This problem I believe is due to various factors. 1. That the schools don't talk enough about the pedagogy's very close relationship with Steiner's esotericism, but instead focus on the popular things - natural materials - the creative subjects - the seasonal festivals - and all the other "easy" things that are popular to "sell". 2. That many teachers at a Steiner school do not have a Waldorf education. This causes problems regarding the understanding of why the curriculum looks the way it does - i.e. the esoteric reasons for it. It can also create two "camps" in the college - one that takes the esoteric foundations seriously - and one that looks more at what is popular in the eyes of the public (this is often the reason they have applied for the job of Steiner teacher) 3. Crazy attitudes from anthroposophists - such as we have seen them during COVID - and also in concrete cases at schools. Here in Odense (in Denmark) - we had a trained anthroposophical teacher who completely destroyed a large well-functioning school by claiming that half of the teaching staff were Ahriman emissaries from Nazi circles in Germany. The other half believed that - and the war broke out - and the parents fled with their children. Esotericism can make people do really strange things. 4. That far too little is said matter-of-factly about Steiner's esotericism. That really skilled anthroposophists don't stand up more and speak publicly about this. Make it a natural thing to associate with Steiner's name - so it's not just biodynamic goods - Weleda cosmetics and beautiful things in schools. This means - especially around the schools that it can appear to the outside world as if the schools are hiding something - is a cult that will not stand by their hidden agendas. And then it can be "exposed" by journalists and others. So a much more transparent approach to the fact that Steiner's esotericism is actually totally determining the pedagogy in Steiner schools - or at least in schools where the teachers have an esoteric Walddorf training. Don't hide behind all the beauty - but be proud of the esoteric background - and talk about it completely freely and openly. Then there will be nothing hidden - and nothing to reveal either. Jeff : Good thoughts, Niels-Peter ! There's also a saying that in the face of an attack, if your response is to explain yourself, you're already losing. With rare exceptions, none of the initiatives are doing harm, and left to its own devices, the public experiences this organically. And yet a case is being made that there is somehow danger lurking. First of all, if there is genuine evidence of harm, it should simply be handed over to the courts, to be either proven or disproven. No contest if children or patients or consumers of biodynamic foods are being injured - it should be stopped. But if it's exonerated, anthroposophists can also stand on THAT fact. The real issue is a campaign of insinuation that the esoteric aspects of anthroposophy make the initiatives somehow dangerous no matter how much good they do. These by the way were the tactics used against Steiner from the very beginning. So the question is, who makes charges like these and why ? In the big picture, I'd say people with a conceptual commitment to materialism. An adamant and aggressive one. What people's individual reasons for this would be, would be just that - individual - but I think an important underlying factor is existential fear. You can have compassion for people in that situation, but you can't let the problems with this conceptual kind of materialism slide. Rudolf Steiner, for one, never did ! Materialism has a soft underbelly, and that's that in its dogmatism, it eventually pollutes and parts ways with science. Unable to adequately explain phenomena of life, soul or spirit, it denies not only their existence, but the possibility that ANYONE could understand them. And in doing that it begins to make mistakes. As long as natural science is unable to take the phenomena of life, soul and spirit into account, understand them and work with them, it's sooner or later going to make mistakes with them, and do harm. This happens constantly with natural science. It gets many things right that we can admire and be very grateful for. But it also create dangers, that if not corrected, lead to catastrophes. As long as scientists leave this possibility open they'll be receptive and even glad to hear it when someone points out a problem in their creations, and be eager to correct it. If their reaction is denial, however, they risk creating monstrosities. And this does happen, on the largest imaginable scale. This is exactly how we come to food and agricultural technologies that also chronically damage our health and the natural environmental ; worldwide oversaturation with electromagnetic fields that have elsewhere in science been demonstrated to be harmful ; and universal, even mandated use of vaccine technologies that, elsewhere in science, we've been warned are gravely harmful or dangerous. And in the world of transgender therapies, doctors, psychiatrists and the pharmaceutical industry are rubber stamping treatments that are scientific travesties, and medically grotesquely harmful. Science, in situations where these things happen, begins to take on every negative characteristic human thinking and action are capable of, even to the extremes of negligent murder. It ceases to be, even refuses to be SCIENTIFIC. It surrenders the necessary practice of free inquiry to the exercise of heirarchy, authority and power. In the process, it degrades science to "scientism" - an attitude something like the old doctrine of the infallibility of pope and clergy. In the end, conceptual materialism has nowhere else to hide. Whatever reasons are given for attacking the "esotericism" of anthroposophy, I think this is the actual motivating factor. Rudolf Steiner was 100% for natural science - and 100% for extending it through what is being attacked as esotericism. He refuted conceptual materialism as an aberration of science, and modern anthroposophists need to be able to do that too. We can certainly explain whatever we understand of anthroposophy to any thinking person of goodwill, as skillfully we can. But explaining or justifying it to those who attack and undermine it would be a losing strategy from the start. Martin, Niels-Peter, your thoughts ? Niels-Peter : Nice clear explanation of the tendency of natural science to make very harmful things (also) because it does not respect "the finer matters" - I would then add money and greed to the explanation, as these are often the driving force behind very harmful inventions/claims - which we saw the pharmaceutical companies use to the extreme during COVID. But - as you also mention - the natural science club also works well - namely where it is open and curious. We saw this with cold fusion - which was first received with great enthusiasm, but soon also with demands for repetition and proof - and then the idea was dead. Because it was wrong. Also around near-death experiences, we see hard-core materialist scientists stop and wonder - investigate the matter more deeply - and reach insights that change their basic perceptions of life and spirit. It is fantastic. I have a dream that spiritual science will work in the same way - results are presented - ideas are proposed - everyone listens - many investigate - open debate - something can be verified by others - something must remain uncertain - something can be rejected - but nothing remains stuck in the land of dogmatics and ego - because only the truth counts. But OK - it probably won't be tomorrow I also agree that one should not enter into a dialogue with the hard-core opponents directly - that is a lost cause - but instead openly present alternative explanations - for the whole thing. I think that to the extent we lack alternatives to the materialistic explanations of life - really, it is only near-death research that really provides a greater alternative. And this, I believe, is a task for spiritual science - to a far greater extent than we do now. Because at the moment, the soulless explanation of life is destroying our children's minds like a grinding machine - and it hurts to the core to witness. And no - I don't exactly have the "Einstein proposal" for how we do it - but there MUST be a solution to confront materialism on a much larger scale than is happening now - as I see it. Jeff : Niels-Peter, consider this possibility, as a way of working in the future. I'll probably refine it a little more, but will post it for discussion here more than once in the the time to come, each time with a different specific question, focused on some important present issue - for instance this one here, of attacks on anthroposophical work. The exercise would be to discuss the matter from many sides, gather related facts and information and "think it right". This would be a path of many small but related insights, that would include the spirit fully - but would also be fully "doable" in the real world. Think It Right ! livingwaterswellnessresources.weebly.com Michael : Well said Jeff ! Jeff Smith : Thank you Michael ! Michael Hall : Jeff, you know, on this point I think we have a problem - we, not just our critics. What I am trying to say is nuanced and maybe a bit vague, but I'll try. It is a problem in the modern age to go on speaking about two worlds (the material world and the spiritual world). Partly, for sure, it is because the culture in which we grew up is so materialistic. But that may be changing; science is growing, even if slowly. Space now is not just a box of nothing; it is elegantly curved. I think there is one reality and we need one science, and of course it needs to include spirit. But to tell the truth, I have never liked or trusted the word "occult", and I still never use it willingly. If we identify ourselves publicly with hidden or secret or occult things, we are probably identifying ourselves with a sect. And it probably has its dogmas, etc. I think we should PRACTICE what we have found that is healthy and true, and then speak out of what we have learned. There is to my mind no greater book of Steiner's than the Philosophy of Freedom, and the next would be probably KOHW. I think we should start where we are, and go on from there. I even suspect that he would agree. But most anthroposophists, apparently, would not. Jeff : Yes, there are certainly probIems on "our" side too. One is as I mentioned earlier, that people can be very loose with vocabulary, speaking without realizing it, that probably almost no one can understand them, and taking no care to connect the dots a) for newcomers and b) for critics, including ones with an impulse to tear down anthroposophy and anthroposophical work. It does not help the former, and gives the latter all the ammunition in the world. Rudolf Steiner built up understanding step by step for those he spoke to, so that he didn't lose or confuse those who were open to to what he brought, and that he created no opportunity for those who came to undermine. A better way for us, I think, would to make VERY sure, before we speak, that we understand what we've been given through and through on the level of thinking and concepts, and ALSO that we've penetrated it well enough that we can connect it to the realities of life ; including some insight into the mindset and needs of those we're speaking TO. Rudolf Steiner was a master of recognizing the needs and understanding level of the person or audience he was speaking to. There are many, many bridges to be built between natural science and spiritual science, but they need to be able to bear the full weight of questions, challenges and relevance to life as people live it. Perhaps we can each have some small part in building those bridges. But if we don't have the viable construction skills and safety awareness for that, we really should stay off the construction site ! Michael : The problems you list in your first paragraphs are all problems of someone who is not really speaking for himself. Niels-Peter : There is also another problem in this, and that is that the world has a very short tradition of talking publicly about esoteric secrets. A good 100 years - that's all. Esoteric sounds completely insane to the unprepared ear - or at least part of it does. So anthroposophists and others have a tough task, to make madness sound reasonable - without the guru's power to make the audience sweep the floor if they don't behave properly. But that is the task - to talk publicly about the old - and new - secrets about how the world looks like behind the outer curtain - behind the veil. So the two Jesus children - Buddha's mission on Mars - the 4 world incarnations - and the three to come - Atlantis - the group souls of the animals - the three powers of resistance - the Rosicrucians - reincarnation - karma and 2384 other "strange" things - there is no turning back. And any insecurity - or attempt to hide something - will become a weakness, and turned into victory for those who see no purpose in seeing the world as the result of the creative power of living spirit. So this problem is probably also about how uncertainty becomes an old tradition to hide the esoteric - but it is too late - the books are in all the world's bookstores - and many of them are written by Steiner. Martin : Niels-Peter, check out Gigi Young . She seems to be doing a good job of it in my opinion. Jeff Smith : Not so sure Martin. My sense is that she's pretty loose with terminology. It always bothers me when people use an esoteric term without first building up an understanding and background for the listener. To me, one of Rudolf Steiner's best qualities is that he DOESN'T do that. If you're speaking to an audience fully familiar with your theme, that's one thing - but if your audience is likely to include newcomers - or people potentially hostile to what you're saying - I don't think it's wise, or that in the long term it will be particularly helpful or productive. At times some of the commentary on our anthroposophical pages sound a little like gibberish to me - and I've been studying this for a long time ! In the meantime, I'll listen to some more of her broadcasts, and see if my impression changes. Martin : She refers her listeners to Steiner's work repeatedly, Jeff. And answers any questions as they come up, certainly to my satisfaction with the insight of a true occultist. Occasionally she uses a wrong word like "channelling" inappropriately but otherwise bringing in a whole new generation into Rudolf Steiner's work. Jeff : All good Martin - will take that into consideration, and listen to more, including to her responses to those questions. Jeff : Niels-Peter your first three sentences I understand, and I think you're quite right. To your fourth statement, I'd say that no one should attempt to represent anything they haven't penetrated through and through themselves, and are able to put in their own words competently. A lot more could be said and explored about communicating with skeptics/critics. What are the person's own real life concerns ? Do they have any genuine questions lurking, that might be starting points for a non-adversarial conversation ? Is there some particular work of Steiner they might be referred to, without "casting pearls before swine" ? And as I said in my previous comment, hard core materialism should never be given a rest concerning its own MASSIVE history of disasters. Niels-Peter : Jeff I believe that one can present many of the results of spiritual science - without being able to stand as a personal guarantor of their evidence. As long as you do it with humility - curiosity and openly talk about where your own cognitive limits go. I think we stand somewhere between the image-saturated language of the Bible (and other holy books) (which still works on the soul) and then the logical and clear results of pure science, and in this transitional land I think spiritual science's mixture of logic and imagination will be able to win the hearts of many - because they will perceive it as "making God/the gods visible in a slow and emotional way" After all, spiritual science also speaks to the heart - far more than natural science, and we can take great pleasure in this, in the presentation of it. But - of course you're also right - it's a balancing act - but one that I think is necessary, because otherwise the veil will be put on Isis again - and that's not the point. Michael : Jeff I agree with your statement that "no one should attempt to represent anything they haven't penetrated through and through themselves, and are able to put in their own words competently." Or rather, stated more positively, that we should speak about things in a way for which we can take real responsibility. Here is an organization orchestrating efforts to deny people some of their most basic rights ; freedom of speech, freedom to peaceably assemble - i.e. by by attacking their online platforms and reach ; and actually, indirectly, their right to petition the government for needed changes, which, in the end, is what ALL these people are attempting to do. If crimes are being committed, CCDH has every right to call the police. As a matter of fact, maybe this is what we should all do about CCDH itself - contact our elected officials and demand they put a stop to the colossal cyber bullying being aimed at these civil and human rights activists - which is what these 12 people ACTUALLY are.
https://www.counterhate.com/disinformationdozen Recommended Action : Search the names of these activists, get on their mailing lists ...... and share their work with friends !
I discovered this song just recently, but it made quite an impression on me, and I've feel a persistent impulse to share it. I'll add the lyrics below. I've heard the saying before that a woman (at best) sees and can hold a strong image of what a man, a child or any other human being can or could BECOME ; and can mobilize incredible loyalty to that, for a very long time. That, for better or worse, this is a kind of default setting in the female human being. I know I've experienced this, and that at different times it's been both saving, and deeply excruciating ! I also have the sense that to feel oneself "seen" - and feel wanting - is a step along the path for EVERY human being. We can fall into self hatred behind this, and if we can't find our way through it, it can take us into the abyss. One part of finding the way through is a rigorous commitment to self honesty and self development - but another unavoidable one is the love someone else, and/or God holds for us and shows us, without our ever yet deserving it. For this we can only be grateful, eternally ! Kudos here to the musicians for capturing this human dilemma surpassingly. The best pop, rock (and every other) music does that, and it's something else to be grateful for eternally ! The lyrics : "If I said what's on my mind You'd turn and walk away Disappearing way back in your dreams It's so hard to be unkind So easy just to say That everything is just the way it seems You look up at me And somewhere in your mind you see A man I'll never be If only I could find a way I'd feel like I'm the man you believe I am And it gets harder every day for me To hide behind this dream you see A man I'll never be I can't get any stronger I can't climb any higher You'll never know just how hard I've tried Cry a little longer And hold a little tighter Emotions can't be satisfied You look up at me And somewhere in your mind you see A man I'll never be If only I could find a way I'd feel like I'm the man you believe I am And it gets harder every day for me To hide behind this dream you see A man I'll never be" - Boston Recommended Action : "Fullscreen" mode, plus volume as tolerated !
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Interview With Geert Vanden Bossche PhD, DVM Along with this video, I've included Geert Vanden Bossche's professional biography and two more related articles below. I highly recommend you read them ! As a scientist Geert Vanden Bossche has been a full member of the vaccine development world - but one who takes risks and potential downsides of vaccines particularly seriously. He's deeply concerned at our response to COVID-19 so far - and calls urgently for a change of course. The change called for, however, is first of all a scientific one. Stepping back from hasty, fear-based or politicized policies and decisions : "I am herewith posting a list of a series of publications that have been instrumental in providing enlightening insights on the interplay between Covid-19 and the host immune system. They provide so to speak critical pieces of the puzzle that I have been putting together. Entire puzzles are rarely published. That’s why publications rarely bring solutions to complex problems. For your convenience, I have allocated the publications I consulted to different categories. As you will appreciate, I have been tapping into several disciplines. To ‘solve’ a problem as complex as a viral pandemic, one has to draw from several different fields, including epidemiology, (molecular) biology, virology, immunology, genetics, vaccinology and even biophysics. Again, this is why ‘finished’ puzzles cannot be found in science journals specifically dedicated to a specific field of interest." At the end of the second article below, he finishes with : "I only take responsibility for the statements and scientific papers that I have published myself. I want to emphasize that what I am trying to convey goes beyond various beliefs and opinions. They are irrelevant to what concerns us as humans. In fact, they are an obstacle. Above all I want to safeguard my integrity and insist on absolute independence. The response to my appeal should remain only and purely scientific and in no occasion ever be used or abused by any non-scientific rhetoric." Interview, articles, credentials, recommendations - urgent recommendations. I encourage you to study these thoughts and call to action ; and to share and take action on them in the spirit they're given ! Executive Summary and Supporting Articles : Geert Vanden Bossche 
Addendum to Executive Summary March 17, 2021
About Geert Vanden Bossche Experience Company Name : VARECO Dates Employed : Sep 2012 – Present Employment Duration : 8 yrs 7 mos Location : Europe Independent vaccine consultant with a long-standing track record in Academia, Vaccine Industry and Global Health (GH) ; providing support on vaccine project management as well as advice, guidance and expert opinion on preclinical development of vaccines & biologicals, from project selection up to IND. Assignments include prophylactic and therapeutic vaccine projects in Human and Veterinary Vaccine Industry, Small Biotech, Global Health organizations in the US or Europe My knowledge, insights and skills cover a diversified spectrum of Life Science domains including : - Life Science Project Management (in early and late dvpt) - Due diligence on technologies & processes related to vaccines, adjuvants and biologicals - Patent writing and strategic IP management - Guidance on regulatory requirements to CMC documentation, DMF files - Target product profiling and SWOT analysis - Infectious and immune-mediated diseases including their (immune) pathogenesis and epidemiology - Host-pathogen interactions and mechanisms of immune escape - Innate and adaptive immunology (both, humoral and cell-mediated) - Antigen discovery - Preclinical vaccine development (including animal experimentation as well as immunological and physicochemical characterization of vaccines and biologicals) - Vaccine formulation science and modern vaccine delivery technologies (incl. devices) ; modern technologies for enhancement of antimicrobicidal activity in multidose vaccines - Small-scale pre-GMP vaccine manufacturing (incl. synthetic chemistry of Ag or adjuvant, recombinant Ag expression, viral vectors, upstream and downstream processing) To enhance the quality and capacity of my consultancy services, I leverage an extensive network of professional contacts providing direct access to US and European governmental and regulatory agencies, Academia and Research Institutions, Human and Veterinary Vaccine Industry, Global & Public Health organizations and CROs in the US and Europe Company Name : German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF) Dates Employed : Aug 2017 – Feb 2018 Employment Duration : 7 mos Location : Cologne, Germany Spearheading a portfolio of translational vaccine research projects, conducted at German universities and research centres sponsored by DZIF. Holding overall accountability for strategic alignment of translational infection research in support of preclinical and early clinical testing Developing a trans-academic translational network for Vaccine development totaling eight universities and research organizations across Germany Company Name : Univac Dates Employed : Nov 2014 – Nov 2016 Employment Duration : 2 yrs 1 mo Location : HuldenbergI I founded Univac as inventor of a new vaccine technology which I subsequently further developed as CSO of the Company. The technology enables the development of universal vaccines educating the host immune system to redirect immune targeting away from canonical antigens to a widely divergent spectrum of vitally vulnerable pathogen-derived ‘self-mimicking’ antigens, irrespective of MHC polymorphism. Although ‘non-self’ and exposed on the surface of infected or pathologically altered cells, these antigens are not effectively recognised upon natural infection or disease. This new type of vaccines harnesses the power of the immune system by unlocking the untapped potential of self-centered Natural Killer (NK) cells capable of recognising these unconventional antigens. The resulting type of immune response is unprecedented and licenses the host immune system to readily eliminate infection or to cure disease across a broad range of unrelated pathogens and/ or mammalian species. This sharply contrasts with conventional targeting of natural immune responses as induced by conventional vaccines. Because of their fast (NK cells) and universally protective effect, Univac vaccines are uniquely suited to prevent pathogenic agents from escaping host immune responses as of an early stage of infection or immune-mediated disease. The technology obviates the need for traditional adjuvants, multiple boost injections or expensive manufacturing processes and is readily compatible with intradermal or mucosal administration. Hence, it also offers unprecedented advantages in terms of safety, convenience and cost-effectiveness Company Name : Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) Dates Employed : Mar 2015 – Mar 2016 Employment Duration : 1 yr 1 mo Location : Geneva Area, Switzerland During my term at GAVI, I coordinated GAVI’s Ebola Vaccine Program and contributed to the implementation of an integrated vaccine work plan in collaboration with Global Health Partners (WHO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CDC, UNICEF), regulators (FDA) and vaccine manufacturers to enable timely deployment or stockpiling of Ebola vaccine candidate(s) that suitably meet the requirements for use in an Ebola epidemic. In this capacity, I also contributed to several workshops aimed at proposing novel and efficient approaches to improving preparedness in cases of Global Health Emergencies of international concern Company Name : Positions in Academia Dates Employed : Sep 1980 – Sep 2015 Employment Duration : 35 yrs 1 mo Location : Belgium - Germany Training in Veterinary Medicine at the faculty Notre-Dame-de-la-Paix and the State University of Ghent (1980-1983) - Doctoral degree in Veterinary Medicine from State University of Ghent (1983) - Postdoctoral training in Equine Medicine and Surgery at the Free University of Berlin, Germany (1984-1987) - Postdoctoral Fellowship in Virology at James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA (Sept 1990- mid 1991) - Research scientist in Virology, Immunology and Molecular Biology at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, Germany (1987- 1990) - Board certified in Veterinary Virology (1990) - Senior Research Scientist and Head of Environmental Virology at University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany (1990-1994) - Board certified in Veterinary Microbiology and Animal Hygiene (1992) - Visiting Professor in Environmental Virology at the European Faculty for Environmental Sanitation (1998-2004) - Adjunct Professor in Environmental Virology and Zoonotic Diseases at University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany (1997-2000) - Visiting Scientist at the REGA Institute, KU Leuven, Belgium (2013 - 2015) Company Name : Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Dates Employed : May 2008 – Jun 2011 Employment : Duration3 yrs 2 mos Location : Seattle, Washington 98102, USA Responsible for operating Vaccine Programs (e.g., HIV-1, Malaria, TB, Polio) and establishing international product development partnerships for immune interventions in Global Health (e.g., with Academia, Biotech Industry, NIH, Welcome Trust, WHO, PATH). Coordinating and spearheading international collaborations and consortia on innovative vaccine approaches and steering multidisciplinary vaccine initiatives Company Name : Solvay Biologicals Dates Employed : Jul 2007 – May 2008 Employment Duration : 11 mos Location : Weesp, the Netherlands Responsible for leading the operational aspects of an interdisciplinary project team including the planning and implementation of adjuvanted Influenza vaccines that enable dose sparing. Implementation of commercial-scale production of cell-based methods and expansion of Influenza vaccine production capacity such as to meet DHSS (U.S. Department of Human Health Services) contractual requirements (Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan) Company Name : Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics Dates Employed : Aug 2006 – Jul 2007 Employment Duration : 1 yr Location : Siena, Italy & Emeryville, USA Vaccine Research Program/Adjuvant Program responsibilities : - Project leader of NVD's RSV vaccine project (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) - Coordinator of preclinical activities on combined seasonal RSV-Influenza vaccine or elderly & high risk adults - Responsible for defining and shaping the scope and strategy of NVD's adjuvant and vaccine delivery technologies including management of NVD’s adjuvant portfolio, opportunity sourcing, and establishment of an internal interdisciplinary due diligence team for the evaluation of relevant extramural opportunities Company Name : Glaxo Smith Kline Biologicals Dates Employed : May 2001 – May 2006 Employment Duration : 5 yrs 1 mo Location : Rixensart, Belgium - Research Program Leader on Vaccine Formulation Development & Alternative Deliveries and in charge of biophysical characterization activities on adjuvanted vaccine formulations. - Coordination and follow-up of extramural contracts & collaboration agreements on new immunization strategies and innovative vaccine adjuvant, delivery or formulation technologies (e.g., co-delivery, mucosal, subcutaneous, intradermal immunization) - Development and validation of vaccine and adjuvant characterization assays - Study of adjuvant-antigen interaction and of adjuvant structure-function relationship - Coordination and resource management of preclinical activities including CMC section of INDs and cGMP production of (adjuvanted) vaccine candidates - Planning laboratory activities and establishing outside collaborations with academia Total Duration : 6 yrs 4 mos Title : Senior Project Leader ‘Adolescent Vaccine Projects Dates Employed : Jun 1998 – May 2001 Employment Duration : 3 yrs Location : Rixensart, Belgium Major responsibilities : - Project Management on Raw Material Traceability (RAMATRA) and vaccine projects in Late Development, e.g., Herpes Simplex Virus type 2, Hepatitis B, Streptococcus Pneumoniae and Enterotoxic Escherichia Coli (in collaboration with SBL Vaccines, Sweden)
Employment Duration : 3 yrs 4 mos Location : Rixensart, Belgium Major responsibilities (3 direct reports ; 6 technicians) : - Management and coordination of vaccine product development, optimization as well as validation of analytical methods in accordance with regulatory requirements or guidelines and vaccine marketing constraints - Budget management of all activities related to QC assay development - Transfer from R&D and further development of new QC-relevant characterization techniques on new vaccine candidates (e.g., HSV-2 vaccine, Lyme disease vaccine); contacts with national/international regulatory and health authorities (e.g., FDA, NIBSC, IHE, WHO) on technical dossiers ; active participation in pre-IND meetings Source of Geert Vanden Bossche profile : LinkedIn.com
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with friends !  If we're concerned about racism today - which every thinking person of good will should be - here's an example of bedrock, real injury, harm and loss perpetrated on people of color : long term, large scale and continuing, in the present now. Recommended Action : While you visit this page, Bookmark/Favorite this organization, and take 30 seconds to get on their mailing list. IMO there's no better activism work happening anywhere today. Medical Racism : The New Apartheid Share this page
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This article is from Epoch Times, a conservative news source I follow. IMO it's an outstanding overview of the political/cultural landscape we live in just now, and if a time capsule were created for this moment, this should be in it. To anyone with the impulse to reject it out of hand, note how it condemns both left and right extremism - and the corporatism that uses BOTH in its bid for control over our earth. Recommended Action : Read carefully, consider, and if this corresponds to your thinking and observations, SHARE - while you still have the chance. Recommended Action : Bookmark or Favorite this website, explore it and visit it in the time to come ! Ideological Alignment Pushing America Toward Totalitarianism, Experts Warn Concerns over the nexus of big tech, big media, and big government By PETR SVAB January 21, 2021 News Analysis The formation of a totalitarian state is just about complete in America as the most powerful public and private sector actors unify behind the idea that actions to stamp out dissent can be justified, according to several experts on modern totalitarian ideologies. While many have warned about the rise of fascism or socialism in “the land of the free,” the ideas have largely been vague or fragmented, focusing on individual events or actors. Recent events, however, indicate that seemingly unconnected pieces of the oppression puzzle are fitting together to form a comprehensive system, according to Michael Rectenwald, a retired liberal arts professor at New York University. But many Americans, it appears, have been caught off guard or aren’t even aware of the newly forming regime, as the idea of elected officials, government bureaucrats, large corporations, the establishment academia, think tanks and nonprofits, the legacy media, and even seemingly grassroot movements all working in concert toward some evil purpose seems preposterous. Is a large portion of the country in on a conspiracy ? The reality now emerges that no massive conspiracy was in fact needed—merely an ideological alignment and some informal coordination, Rectenwald argues. Despite the lack of formal overarching organization, the American socialist regime is indeed totalitarian, as the root of its ideology requires politically motivated coercion, he told The Epoch Times. The power of the regime is not yet absolute but it’s becoming increasingly effective as it erodes the values, checks, and balances against tyranny established by traditional beliefs and enshrined in the American founding. The effects can be seen throughout society. Americans, regardless of their income, demographics, or social stature are being fired from jobs, getting stripped of access to basic services such as banking and social media, or having their businesses crippled for voicing political opinions and belonging to a designated political underclass. Access to sources of information unsanctioned by the regime is becoming increasingly difficult. Some figures of power and influence are sketching the next step, labelling large segments of society as “extremists” and potential terrorists who need to be “deprogrammed.” While the onset of the regime appears tied to events of recent years—the presidency of Donald Trump, the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, the Capitol intrusion of Jan. 6—its roots go back decades. Is It Really Totalitarian ? Totalitarian regimes are commonly understood as constituting a government headed by a dictator that regiments the economy, censors the media, and quells dissent by force. That is not the case in America but it’s also a misunderstanding of how such regimes function, literature on totalitarianism indicates. To claim power, the regimes don’t initially need to control every aspect of society through government. Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialist Workers Party in Nazi Germany, used various means to control the economy, including gaining compliance of industry leaders voluntarily, through intimidation, or through replacing the executives with party loyalists. Similarly, the regime rearing its head in America relies on corporate executives to implement its agenda voluntarily but also through intimidation by online brigades of activists and journalists who take initiative to launch negative PR campaigns and boycotts to progress their preferred societal structure. Also, Hitler initially didn’t control the spread of information via government censorship but rather through his brigades of street thugs, the “brown shirts,” who would intimidate and physically prevent his opponents from speaking publicly. The tactic parallels the often successful efforts to “cancel” and “shut down” public speakers by activists and violent actors, such as Antifa. Dissenting media in America haven’t been silenced by the government directly as of yet. But they are stymied in other ways. In the digital age, media largely rely on reaching and growing their audience through social media and web search engines, which are dominated by Facebook and Google. Both companies have in place mechanisms to crack down on dissenting media. Google gives preference in its search results to sources it deems “authoritative.” Search results indicate the company tends to consider media ideologically close to it to be more authoritative. Such media can then produce hit pieces on their competitors, giving Google justification to slash the “authoritativeness” of the dissenters. Facebook employs third-party fact checkers who have the discretion to label content as “false” and thus reduce the audience on its platform. Virtually all the fact checkers focused on American content are ideologically aligned with Facebook. Attempts to set up alternative social media have run into yet more fundamental obstacles, as demonstrated by Parler, whose mobile app was terminated by Google and Apple, while the company was kicked off Amazon’s servers. To the degree that a totalitarian regime requires a police state, there’s no law in America targeting dissenters explicitly. But there are troubling signs of selective, politically motivated enforcement. Signs go back to the IRS’s targeting of Tea Party groups or the difference in treatment received by former Trump adviser Lt. Gen Michael Flynn and former FBI deputy Director Andrew McCabe—both allegedly lying to investigators but only one getting prosecuted. The situation may get still worse as the restrictions tied to the CCP virus see broad swaths of ordinary human behavior being considered “illegal,” opening the door to nearly universal political targeting. “I think the means by which a police state is being set up is the demonization of Trump supporters and the likely use of medical passports to institute the effective equivalent of social credit scores,” Rectenwald said. While loyalty to the government and to a specific political party plays a major role, it’s the allegiance to the ideological root of totalitarianism that gives it its foot soldiers, literature on the subject indicates. Totalitarian Ideology The element “that holds totalitarianism together as a composite of intellectual elements” is the ambition of fundamentally reimagining society—“the intention to create a ‘New Man,’” explained author Richard Shorten in “Modernism and Totalitarianism: Rethinking the Intellectual Sources of Nazism and Stalinism, 1945 to the Present.” Various ideologies have framed the ambition differently, based on what they posited as the key to the transformation. Karl Marx, co-author of the Communist Manifesto, viewed the control of the economy as primary, describing socialism as “socialized man, the associated producers, rationally regulating their interchange with Nature, bringing it under their common control, instead of being ruled by it as by the blind forces of Nature,” in his Das Kapital. Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialist Workers Party in Nazi Germany, viewed race as primary. People would become “socialized”—that is transformed and perfected—by removing Jews and other supposedly “lesser” races from society, he claimed. The most dominant among the current ideologies stem from the so-called “critical theories,” where the perfected society is defined by “equity,” meaning elimination of differences in outcomes for people in demographic categories deemed historically marginalized. The goal is to be achieved by eliminating the ever-present “white supremacy,” however the ideologues currently define it. While such ideologies commonly prescribe collectivism, calling for national or even international unification behind their agenda, they are elitist and dictatorial in practice as they find mankind never “woke” enough to follow their agenda voluntarily. In Marx’s prophecies, the revolution was supposed to occur spontaneously. Yet it never did, leading Vladimir Lenin, the first head of the Soviet Union, to conclude that the revolution will need leadership after all. “The idea is that you have some enlightened party … who understand the problem of the proletariat better than the proletariat does and is going to shepherd them through the revolution that they need to have for the greater good,” explained James Lindsay, author of “Cynical Theories : How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity—and Why This Harms Everybody.” Elements of this intellectual foundation can be found in ideologies of many current political forces, from neo-nazis and anarcho-communists, through to progressives and to some extent even neoliberals and neoconservatives, Lindsay acknowledged. “This is why you see so many people today saying that the only possible answers are a full return to classical liberalism or a complete rejection of liberalism entirely as fatally disposed to create progressivism, neoliberalism, etc.,” he said. That’s not to say these ideologies are openly advocating totalitarianism but rather that they inevitably lead to it. The roadmap could be summarized as follows : There’s something fundamentally and intolerably wrong with current reality
Points four and five now appear to be in progress. Former Facebook executive Alex Stamos recently labeled the widespread questioning of the 2020 election results as “violent extremism,” which social media companies should eradicate the same way they countered online recruitment content from the ISIS terrorist group. The “core issue,” he said, is that “we have given a lot of leeway, both in traditional media and on social media, to people to have a very broad range of political views” and this has led to the emergence of “more and more radical” alternative media like OAN and Newsmax. Stamos then mused about how to reform Americans who’ve tuned in to the dissenters. “How do you bring those people back into the mainstream of fact-based reporting and try to get us all back into the same consensus reality ?” he asked in a CNN interview. “And can you ? Is that possible ?” CNN host Brian Stelter added. The logic goes as follows : Trump claimed the election was stolen through fraud and other illegalities. That has not been proven in court and is thus false. People who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and managed to break inside and disrupt the electoral vote counting did so because they believed the election was stolen. Therefore, anybody who questions the legitimacy of the election results is an extremist and potentially a terrorist. With tens of thousands of troops assembled to guard the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) recently told CNN that all guard members who voted for Trump belong to a “suspect group” that “might want to do something,” alluding to past leaders of other countries who were “killed by their own people.” Former FBI Director James Comey recently said the Republican party needs to be “burned down or changed.” “They want a one party state,” commented conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza in a recent podcast. “That is not to say they don’t want an opposition. They want a token opposition. They want Republicans where they get to say what kind of Republican is ok.” Just as Marx blamed the ills of the world on capitalists and Hitler on Jews, the current regime tends to blame various permutations of “white supremacy.” “Expel the Republican members of Congress who incited the white supremacist attempted coup,” said Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) in a recent tweet, garnering some 300,000 likes. She was referring to the Republican lawmakers who raised objections on Jan. 6 to election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Their objections were voted down. “Can U.S. Spy Agencies Stop White Terror ?” Daily Beast’s Jeff Stein asked in a recent headline, concluding that a call for “secret police” to sniff out “extremist” Americans “may well get renewed attention.” Under the regime, allegations of election fraud—de facto questioning the legitimacy of the leader—have become incitement of terrorism. YouTube (owned by Google), Facebook, and Twitter have either banned content that claims the election was rigged or are furnishing it with warning labels. Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey was recently recorded as saying that banning the president’s account was just the beginning. The approach closely mirrors that of the Chinese communist regime, which commonly targets dissidents for “subverting” the state or “spreading rumors.” What’s the Alternative ? If calls for radically reorganizing the world are inherently totalitarian, how is the world to avoid them ? The question appears to be its own answer. If totalitarianism inherently requires allegiance to its ideology, it can’t exist in a society with a lack of such allegiance. The United States were founded on the idea that individual rights are God-given and unalienable. The idea, rooted in traditional beliefs that human morality is of divine origin, stands a bulwark against any attempt to assail people’s rights even for their own good. “If you’re not a believer in actual God, you can posit a God’s ideal on the matter ..… We have to posit some arbiter who’s above and beyond our own prejudices and biases in order to ensure these kinds of rights. ..… Because otherwise you have this infinitely malleable situation in which people with power and coercive potential can eliminate and rationalize the elimination of rights willy-nilly,” Rectenwald said. Follow Petr on Twitter : @perszab LWW Blog Note The original article can be found at Epoch Times here. To read it there you may be asked to disable your ad blockers. But as I understand it you can also whitelist the website without turning off your add blocker. I click the blue whitelist button without selecting an ad blocker, and I still get in. I think that it must be a temporary thing, as they ask for it each time I visit. Worthwhile thing to do for this article, IMO. And of course, you can also subscribe if you choose to.
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with friends ! Luke 21 : 25-36 King James Version 25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity ; the sea and the waves roaring ; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth : for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads ; for your redemption draweth nigh." In my church we hear this Gospel reading each Sunday in Advent - the beginning and first festival of the Christian year, that culminates in Christmas. We may hear it as many as five Sundays, a bell repeatedly tolling - images of turbulence, yet a mood also of expectation and hope. The reading continues : 29 And he spake to them a parable ; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees ; 30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away : but my words shall not pass away. 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." This year 2020 has manifested more than its share of fear, doubt and hatred - the "three beasts of the abyss" that always lurk near us as human beings, tempting us to our darkest potentials, misleading us, sometimes tragically, from our best ones. It has been a year of threats and dire predictions, of losses, disruption and change pressed on us largely against our will. These things have "befallen" Roswitha and me too, and while we've tried to meet them directly and honestly as we could, "the spirit of Christmas" has not come easily this year. At low points, I've had to just let myself feel pain, accept it and turn my whole attention to whatever Goodness, Beauty and Truth there might be in or around me ; and trust that it will be enough. Tonight, though, the spirit of Christmas found us here in Mexico ! Friends from our travels flew in, and we had a truly exquisite meal - for me, perhaps the best "turkey with all the fixings" I've ever experienced ! The conversation was earnest and uplifting, and behind us a saxophonist played Christmas songs and others so soulfully, it more than once brought tears to my eyes. When we finally emerged to the street, the moon and stars were shining brightly ; Christmas lights shone from windows ; couples and families strolled by with many warm greetings of "Feliz Navidad" ; and suddenly, feliz in my heart it was. As we walked to our car, I could only say "Friends - now it's Christmas Eve !" When we arrived home and I checked the computer, the first thing I came upon was this : "The forms that our consciousness takes from our original thought or intent can become unrecognizable in life's troubles and obstructions but can end up looking all the more beautiful when observed with the eye of an artist." - Danica Wolkiser With this image :  And the further comment :
"What you see here is something rare that's being described as what happens when a rainbow falls apart. It’s actually a rainbow being diffused by scattered raindrops which reflect off the clouds behind it. If the clouds were gone it would just be a regular rainbow." - Howard Curtis To all of this, I could only say "yes - yes !" Dr. Yehuda Schoenfeld is among the most respected authorities on autoimmune disease in the world today, and this landmark book is the first textbook of its kind ever published. Of special note and concern are findings that autoimmune effects of vaccine adjuvant substances can take up to eight years to manifest. This is important to remember when new vaccines we're told are effective and necessary, are also proclaimed to be "safe”. The reality is, we won’t know that for a long time to come. Use discernment, seek more information - and don't make potentially life-altering decisions solely on the basis of fear ! Vaccines and Autoimmunity For an overview of what this important book covers, see its Table of Contents here : https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Vaccines+and+Autoimmunity-p-9781118663431 For medical professional and/or scientists, you can also buy "Vaccines and Autoimmunity" here :  Learn more about the very large - and very underreported - autoimmune epidemic underway in our world today here : http://livingwaterswellnessresources.weebly.com/apps/search?q=autoimmune 
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Today, on Election Day 2020, I'm building my wish list for the next 365 days. Since you're my friends I hope you'll help me make them come true : 1) I'd really like to see my friends on the more conservative side discover (please bear with me) MEXICO, if they haven't yet, and - exercising normal precautions and common sense - come down here and see what it's about. Don't just hang out in a time share ghetto with other gringos, find ways to get out there and see how the people are and live. It could change your life and outlook in surprising ways. Beyond that, to my more conservative friends, I wish for you that you find ways to travel in general, if you can. Same reasons. 2) I'd like to see the following people get together, with no more initial agenda than "we need to talk" : - Black Lives Matter people. - Good cops who've been pushed to the edge by staffing and budget cuts this year. - Parents of children with vaccine injuries. - People with food and chemical sensitivities. - People with autoimmune diseases. - People highly sensitive to electromagnetic fields. - People who've lost or had their businesses crippled by COVID-19 policies this year. - People who do "non-essential" work, and have lost most of their income due to COVID policies this year. - People who are in the tourist industry and have been devastated by COVID policies this year. - People who've lost or are in danger of losing their homes this year because of COVID policies. - People who've ESCAPED the COVID economic havoc thus far. - People who take as much responsibility for their own health as they possibly can. - People 100% willing to learn more about caring for their own health, and take more responsibility for it in the next year. I'd also like to see people who want to make voting rights complete and pristine sit down with people who want to make MEDICAL FREEDOM complete and pristine. Friends, can we talk ? 3) I wish for my conservative friends who haven't acknowledged man made global warming so far, to do so ( ! ) I also wish for my more progressive friends who DO acknowledge GW to step back from government regulation as a way of dealing with it - and instead focus on egregious individual offenders ("law enforcement approach"). The point is that there is a problem ; but that regulation of all things cripples - while prosecution of serious dangerous practices actually works, and is ENOUGH. Make this crucial, CRITICAL distinction, people - and start talking to each other ! 4) The question arises for me : how do you reduce the flames of divisiveness in our country - and the world ? Two things that occur to me : a) Withdraw fuel. b) Withdraw air. We really can't control the actions or attitude of others - only our own. We can "keep our own side of the street clean", and no one can really stop us from doing that. Here are some things I hope we do in the next year (and in fact, always) : - Refuse to make inflammatory statements, and STEP BACK when others do. - Deal only in facts we can verify. - Look for the things we AGREE on with people, and work together with them on those, where possible. - Take a step deeper into the process, and contact our elected officials with our wishes and concerns. Do it regularly, and build up an actual relationship with them. - Give direct feedback to CORPORATIONS that are causing us injury, harm or loss. Under everything, we need them to change their practices that hurt us, and their products that cause us harm. It's a feedback loop we perhaps haven't used much yet, but I think we need to start talking to them directly. If they ignore us, we still have the option -together - to bring down the law on criminal actions. That's what the law is for. The message in ALL these things, I think, is that we need to talk to each other - regularly, directly and with goodwill. Including with people we don't usually talk to. Please help make my wishes come true ! Jeff Smith RN (Retired) Bucerias, Mexico 11/3/2020
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The Most Complete Resource Yet One hidden potential benefit in a crisis, is that it throws us back on our own resources - it makes us dig deeper, and extend our development in new and important ways. Such has been the case for this group in the the Philippines, where COVID-19 lockdowns are among the most extreme in the world. These lockdowns have been especially devastating for people in second and third world countries. I received this yesterday from a Facebook Friend in the Philippines, and it's one of the most comprehensive presentations on COVID I've seen. It give both an overview of the matter, and insight into many of its component parts. I post this for your personal interest - but please also share it with friends. Click here for the homepage of this in-depth resource. I encourage an initial scan of key topics, then a deeper dive into those aspects closest to your heart : "Science Has Spoken - End the Lockdown" Here's an additional link to this group's newsletter (highly recommended) : COVID Call to Humanity And a sampling of some typical blog posts : Truth to Action Although it's become one, I feel COVID-19 should never have been a political issue. It's a medical, practical and social problem in need of solutions - but not beyond our collective grasp. This website explores questions of science in a sober, clarifying way, with skilled review of facts and statistics. It should untangle certain common confusions, and show pathways for more effective action. Be well - and be part of the solution !
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"Just a little review of my termination 2 years ago from a 35 year career in nursing. I declined the mandatory flu shot. I requested to wear a mask during the duration of "flu season," which had always been hospital policy. I was told that surgical masks as well as N95 masks are not effective in filtering viral particulate. Masking was no longer an option and I was fired. Now the public is being told to be "good citizens," "wear your mask to protect others," "you're being selfish if you don't mask." Excuse me - I don't understand why I was fired 2 years ago because hospital grade masks were not effective enough in filtering viruses, but now suddenly tying any kind of covering around your face is good enough to protect you and the public. I call BS on all of it ! I'm sick of all of the constantly changing guidelines and recommendations. The science doesn't change every other week but politically driven, orchestrated narratives do. Just think about it. If masks are made mandatory for all, people will be eager to line up for the experimental covid vaccine just to be able to take off their masks. Forced compliance has always been looming. No shot - wear a mask indefinitely. No shot - you can't travel. No shot - you can't renew your driver's license. No shot - sorry you can't go into public places. Get the picture ? Sorry I'm not buying it, nor will I comply to mandated mask wearing or mandated vaccines. If you're sick stay home. If you're healthy breathe freely and maintain your health and immune system. In a few short months we may be faced with another mandatory order. What will your choice be ? I value my autonomy and the right to make my own health decisions. That won't change." Michelle McAllister Krinsky #HealthFreedom
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Seven Requirements for Healthy
Growth and Development Michaela Gloeckler, MD The health of the modern human being depends entirely upon how he thinks of himself as a human being and upon which path of development he travels. Everyone who becomes aware of divine spiritual existence, who "awakens" to it, can learn how to become healthier and more human. Rudolf Steiner, an experienced teacher in the realm of self-development, has described how this can be done. In his books Esoteric Science, Theosophy and How to Know Higher Worlds, he clearly states that the acquisition of knowledge, the striving for higher development or meditative exercises can only be beneficial if we make the results of this work fruitful for daily life. For ultimately, how can such magnificent human characteristics as veneration, inner peace, courage, confidence, hope, loyalty, devotion, love and honesty become autonomous and, in turn, confirm the autonomy of others ? To be learned, these qualities must be rooted in everyday life, and in fact, have to be developed and proven in daily life. The First Requirement "The first requirement is that we turn our attention to improving our physical and mental or spiritual health. Our health does not in the first place depend on us, yet we can make the effort to improve it." From the above statement, we might surmise that we are given free license to egotistically cultivate our own health. However, the right balance between pleasure and duty can be found. We are very much bound up, both mentally and physically with our daily tasks - so much so that we often overlook our health. We may skip a meal, or we work through half the night —or even all night to make ends meet. In other words, the demands of our work often prevent us from paying adequate attention to our own well-being. The Second Requirement "The second requirement is to feel ourselves fully part of life. It holds true for the smallest thing as well as greater ones. For example, out of such an attitude I will be able to look at a criminal totally differently, holding back my own judgment and saying to myself: he is a human being just as I am. My particular upbringing probably prevented me from a destiny like his. If his teachers had taken the same trouble with him as mine did with me, he may have thrived. I will reflect that I have enjoyed privileges that were denied him, and that I can thank my circumstances for the good fortune that was granted me. Then the realization that I am simply a member, a segment of the whole of humanity, will not be foreign to me, and that as such I am co-responsible for everything that happens." Whoever practices this requirement, comes to the somewhat shocking realization as to just how much power is exerted by our own actions. If someone annoys me, and I react on that level, the situation can easily escalate or lead to lasting discord. If I avoid reacting to the person but instead ask myself : how should I act so this person can express their better nature - or : what was he experiencing inwardly - what may have happened to him at home that his tolerance level is so low ? Even if we are unable to answer such questions, the very fact that they are posed non-judgmentally is an important step. It is not uncommon that, faced with such an attitude, the other person begins to change his/her behavior after a time. The Third Requirement "..... that we win through to the conviction that our thoughts and feelings are as important for the world as our actions. Hating someone is just as destructive as a physical blow. This leads to the insight that I not only do something for myself when I perfect myself, but I do something for the world. The world is served as much by my pure feelings and thoughts as it is by my good deeds." Anyone who knows someone for whom they feel love, respect, and veneration, knows just how effective good thoughts and feelings are in relationships. Children treated with loving respect grow up in an atmosphere that acts as a moral wall of protection against common daily mishaps and fearful experiences, and they grow up with quite a different inner confidence than would be possible without this kind of protection. The Fourth Requirement "The acquisition of insight that our true nature lies within. If we see ourselves merely as a product of our physical environment we cannot accomplish anything in esoteric training. The basic requirement is to consider ourselves as a being of soul and spirit. When we manage to break through to this conviction we are in a position to discriminate between inner calling and outer achievement, discovering that one is not necessarily measured by the other. As esoteric students, we must find the middle balance between what outer circumstances demand and what we know to be true to our character. This practice develops what, in esoteric science, is termed the ‘spiritual scales.’ On one of its scales lies a heart open to the needs of the outer world, and on the other 'inner certainty and unshakeable endurance'.” The Fifth Requirement “Steadfastness in following through on a resolution once it has been made. Nothing should lead us to abandon something we have decided upon except the insight that we have made a mistake. Each resolution we make is a force that works in its own way - even when it is not immediately successful in the area where it is first applied. Success is crucial only when we act out of longing, and any action motivated by craving is worthless from the point of view of the higher world. In the higher world, love is the only motivation for action. Everything which stirs the esoteric student to action should come to expression in this love. Then we will never fail to transform resolutions into deeds, regardless as to how often we have failed in the Past.” The Sixth Requirement “A sixth requirement is that we develop a feeling of gratitude for everything that human beings receive. We must realize that our own existence is a gift of the whole universe. What a great deal is necessary so that each one of us can receive and sustain our existence ! How much we owe to nature and to other people! Those who seek for esoteric training must lean towards thoughts such as these if they are to develop the all-embracing love necessary to attain higher knowledge.” Conclusion “All of the aforementioned requirements must unite in a seventh : to continue to understand life in the sense that these requirements demand. By doing so, the esoteric pupil creates the possibility for giving life the character of unity. The individual expressions of his life will be in harmony and will not contradict each other. He will be prepared for the peace of mind to which he must attain during the first steps in esoteric mining.” It becomes clear to us, when we take a look at our own path of development, that although we are imperfect, we are capable of development. Becoming more human allows us, if we are willing, to follow these requirements, to practice them and be willing to try ever anew. If we are able to make the sources for them more and more accessible, we are then at the same time increasingly able to achieve good health at the three levels of our existence, in the physical, soul and spiritual. Apart from this, we will also acquire a basic healthy ethical attitude which can stimulate the development of our humanity in all realms of life. Michaela Gloeckler, M.D. has been Head of the Medical Section at the Goetheanum, the School of Spiritual Science in Dornach, Switzerland since 1988. She co-authored A Waldorf guide to Children's Health : Illnesses, Symptoms, Treatments and Therapies, Floris Books. This article is adapted from a lecture given in September 2001. Special thanks to Anne Sproll for translation from the German
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AuthorJeff Smith RN, born 1950. A registered nurse since 1984 - but holistic in my outlook to health since probably around 1968. Living Waters Wellness considers not just the health of the physical body, but our soul and spirit, our social forms, our environment - and as a matter of fact, our whole earth. It's a new website, and a work in progress - but by all means, have a look around ! Archives
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